1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a ballot box, and more particularly to a ballot box having a main, lower compartment, with an upper case that is removable from the lower compartment, the ballot box being adapted to enclose a scanner.
2. Description of Related Art
A ballot box is a storage unit that is configured to receive and safely store election ballots at polling sites before those ballots are transferred to a central location for processing and/or storage. A scanner is often used in conjunction with the ballot box to optically scan the results of each ballot before the ballot is deposited into a storage container within the ballot box. One type of ballot box comprises a container that supports a scanner sitting atop a storage container, with an opening in the container aligned with the scanner such that as ballots are processed through the scanner (with the scanner optically scanning and storing the results for each ballot), the ballots fall into the container. However, in these known configurations, there is no protection provided to the scanner itself, as it sits exposed atop the ballot box. Furthermore, there is no provision to prevent jamming of the scanner or to prevent the scanner from accepting ballots when the ballot box becomes filled with ballots, and no provision to accept ballots for storage when the scanner is inoperable.